“Penske cars should have gone to the last-chance qualifier for Indy 500”

Rinus VeeKay barely made it to the 109th Indianapolis 500 after a nerve-racking last-chance qualifier. The Dutchman beat his rookie Dale Coyne Racing teammate, Jacob Abel, to claim the final spot on the grid for Sunday’s May 25 race.

Perhaps that is why Veekay seemed upset when it was announced that the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet of Josef Newgarden and the No. 12 Chevrolet of Will Power were sent to the back of the field after it was determined that there was an illegal modification to the rear attenuator of both cars during Sunday’s Fast 12 qualifying.

During a press conference held Monday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar and IMS track president Doug Boles explained why Newgarden and Power should be allowed to participate in the race instead of being pushed out, which would allow Abel, whose car was legal all week, to race.

“Transparently, the 33 fastest cars are in the Indianapolis 500. On Saturday all the cars passed tech. There was not a reason to look at those cars. They got through the cars, so on Saturday that qualification attempt should stand as far as I’m concerned,” he stated.

Veekay was not satisfied with this response when he addressed the situation at a later press conference following Monday’s drafting practice at Indianapolis.

“I mean, the cars went through tech several times last week. It was only discovered at that point. I would have thought it was fair if they had to go to the last-chance qualifier and deserved to fight their way into the field. It’s an even more unfortunate situation for Jacob now,” he said.

Furthermore, Veekay, who is preparing for his sixth Indy 500, said he doesn’t know how Team Penske could justify modifying the rear attenuators on their cars. However, he was able to find some humor in the circumstances.

“Of course, what they did was wrong. Yeah, I’m not totally sure how to justify the situation. It’s kind of a weird situation. You don’t see this every year.”

“If you had told me a week ago that I’d be starting on the same row as two Penskes, I would have been very happy”, he said with a smile. “Unfortunately, we’re at the tail end of the field.”

Castroneves doesn’t think it is “a big deal”

Someone who did stand up for Team Penske on Monday was former teammate Helio Castroneves, who has been affiliated with the organization for a long time, winning three of his four Indianapolis 500.

The Brazilian had already defended Team Penske following a double disqualification for the use of an illegal push-to-pass system at St. Petersburg last year.

When asked about his position this time around, he answered: “Same. I believe they did something to look good. I don’t think that little lip is going to make them three miles an hour faster, to be honest.”

Earlier, Boles said that the situation is “devastating” for team and IndyCar owner Roger Penske. Castroneves echoed this sentiment when talking about his former boss.

“I know how Roger operates. He wants everything to be beautiful, perfect, and shiny. I believe it was a mistake to touch an area they’re not supposed to,” he said.

Castroneves is an involved party because he is going to take part in the race, trying to win a record-breaking fifth Indy 500 with Meyer Shank Racing. He was adamant that Team Penske gained no advantage by doing this and saw no reason to make a big deal out of it.

“In the rule book, they’re not supposed to touch. I believe what the series is doing is right. But they don’t need anything like that to go fast. Yeah, no, I don’t see this as a situation that people are creating and making a big deal.”

Read Also: